Lab Members
Ralph Craig
is a lab instructor and has
made mirrors from 6 inches to his
recently completed 16 inch f5 mirror.
Allen Maroney has completed
three mirrors in the lab between 8 and 18 inches.
Allen is also buiding a second robo foucault
tester based on James design.

This is a beautiful 8 inch, 1/9th wave mirror that has a stunning polish and a perfect edge. Nicework Scott!

The FigureXP results of Scott's Mirror2013-09-14

The other axis was slightly less so we're using it to call this a 1/9th wave mirror.

Mike polishing towards a sphere2013-08-25

Mike is helping out during the polishing phase of his son's 8 inch mirror. There was a 500nm hillin the middle that he was cleaning up. By the end of the day the shape was a nice sphere and thelaser test said that middle was polished. Once the polish works its way to the edge Scott willstart figuring. (Photo by Scott)

Lenny Remetta is visiting the heavens2013-08-05

Our friend, fellow astronomer, bike rider, photographer and mirror lab rat, Lenny Remetta, passedaway in mid July 2013. We miss you Lenny and we'll be thinking of you every time we look up!

Lab staff 18th wave mirror2013-08-05

The mirror lab staff occasionally makes a mirror in our spare time. This 10" mirror, with finalfiguring by Ralph Craig, finished with a beautiful 18th wave figure. Okay, the other axis was only16th wave.

Glass Stress - X marks the spot2013-08-05

The black background is actually a white LCD screen with a polarizing filter blocking its linearlypolarized light. If the glass (tool here) had no stress it too would be black. The stress in theglass bends the light and allows it to pass through the filter. This glass will be annealed andlater made into a mirror.

Scott begins his mirror2013-07-06

Scott begins hogging out his 8" mirror. According to the sagitta meter (the bar and gauge on themirror) he reached about half of the needed depth during the first lab session.

Brittany and her father, Stan, were working on 10 inch mirrors this week. Brittany's f4.9 mirror isfully polished and ready for figuring. Stan was visiting the lab for the first time and we put himto work in a 10 inch f5 mirror that will be used to calibrate the robotic Foucault tester.